Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, PO Box 9505, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2022 Aug;377(1856):20210192. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0192. Epub 2022 Jun 13.
Supergenes are tightly linked sets of loci that are inherited together and control complex phenotypes. While classical supergenes-governing traits such as wing patterns in butterflies or heterostyly in -have been studied since the Modern Synthesis, we still understand very little about how they evolve and persist in nature. The genetic architecture of supergenes is a critical factor affecting their evolutionary fate, as it can change key parameters such as recombination rate and effective population size, potentially redirecting molecular evolution of the supergene in addition to the surrounding genomic region. To understand supergene evolution, we must link genomic architecture with evolutionary patterns and processes. This is now becoming possible with recent advances in sequencing technology and powerful forward computer simulations. The present theme issue brings together theoretical and empirical papers, as well as opinion and synthesis papers, which showcase the architectural diversity of supergenes and connect this to critical processes in supergene evolution, such as polymorphism maintenance and mutation accumulation. Here, we summarize those insights to highlight new ideas and methods that illuminate the path forward for the study of supergenes in nature. This article is part of the theme issue 'Genomic architecture of supergenes: causes and evolutionary consequences'.
超级基因座是紧密连锁的基因座集合，它们一起遗传并控制复杂的表型。虽然自现代综合理论以来，人们一直在研究经典的超级基因座控制性状，如蝴蝶的翅膀图案或雌雄同花的异型花柱，但我们仍然对它们在自然界中如何进化和持续存在知之甚少。超级基因座的遗传结构是影响其进化命运的关键因素，因为它可以改变重组率和有效种群大小等关键参数，除了周围的基因组区域外，还可能改变超级基因座的分子进化。为了了解超级基因座的进化，我们必须将基因组结构与进化模式和过程联系起来。随着测序技术和强大的正向计算机模拟的最新进展，这一点现在成为可能。本期主题汇集了理论和经验论文，以及观点和综合论文，展示了超级基因座的结构多样性，并将其与超级基因座进化中的关键过程联系起来，如多态性维持和突变积累。在这里，我们总结了这些见解，以突出阐明在自然界中研究超级基因座的新思想和新方法。本文是主题为“超级基因座的基因组结构：原因和进化后果”的一部分。
